Tank to top-rank, NFL power rankings, Rams to Chiefs
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[September 07, 2023]
Kansas City defends its Super Bowl title starting Thursday
with a home date with the upstart Detroit Lions, a beleaguered
franchise 30 years removed from its last meaningful postseason
appearance.
Yet, some are certain even without squinting and hallucinogens that
this could be the year the Lions are the last team standing.
In the middle-heavy NFC, maybe the Lions are legit.
Based on the franchise's recent run of rough starts, we're
withholding final approval.
Here's how the NFL stacks up under our educated but reality-twinged
appraisal entering Week 1:
32. Los Angeles Rams: Went for all it and got the trophy, now the
bills are due with interest. An early injury to Cooper Kupp
underscores minimal depth, a death knell in the rugged NFC West.
31. Arizona Cardinals: Gutted from the top-down and without Kyler
Murray for at least a month, the Cardinals are content piling up
losses and improving draft standing with the long view in mind.
30. Indianapolis Colts: Even if the QB carousel stops with No. 4
pick Anthony Richardson, he's a man on an island in Indy.
29. Las Vegas Raiders: Talent and defensive firepower are better.
Offensive nowhere near good enough.
28. Houston Texans: Youth and optimism are high. If C.J. Stroud
plays to his ceiling, Houston sits as a possible surprise.
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Steep decline from Tom Brady to the next
QB, and that's not an intended knock on Baker Mayfield.
26. Washington Commanders: Compel us to find a reason the Commanders
can be better than 9-8 in 2023.
25. Tennessee Titans: Historic injury woes racked the Titans in
2022. Major questions about the offensive line and pass rush mean
the losing will linger.
24. Carolina Panthers: Rebuild only beginning behind Bryce Young,
7-10 seems reachable.
23. Green Bay Packers: Hard reset for the first time since Brett
Favre. No playoffs again in Titletown.
22. Chicago Bears: Justin Fields makes the Bears competitive. Can
his defense hold up its end of the bargain?
21. New England Patriots: Bill Belichick has a tendency to prove his
doubters wrong when you least expect it, so perhaps this is the
Patriots' year.
20. Cleveland Browns: Rise would be contemplated if the Bengals and
Ravens weren't ahead of Cleveland in the AFC North queue.
19. New York Giants: Good enough to be dangerous gets you beat in
the NFL.
18. Atlanta Falcons: Somehow the senior-most starter with his
current team in the division is Desmond Ridder (four games). We need
some receipts before loading the bandwagon.
17. Denver Broncos: Counting on Russell Wilson and Sean Payton to
cook up a run, but nothing near the height of their expectations.
[to top of second column] |
16. New Orleans Saints: Age and depth are factors
pushing the Saints back to the pack but we're here for the Chris
Olave breakout season.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers: Praised for their preseason polish, we
aren't budging on our assessment of Kenny Pickett and the Steelers
just yet.
14. Seattle Seahawks: GM John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll
bet on another Pro Bowl year from Geno Smith. We aren't.
13. Miami Dolphins: No knock on Miami, the Dolphins find themselves
in the middle of a brutal division.
12. Minnesota Vikings: Patchwork might be good enough to land a wild
card. Who will back Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota defense in the
playoffs?
11. Jacksonville Jaguars: All the momentum favors the Jaguars behind
the lone AFC South team with teeth. Once the playoffs arrive,
finding the passing lane is next to impossible in this conference.
10. New York Jets: Old men only play quarterback at Aaron Rodgers'
age behind pristine blocking. Rodgers can't say the same thing Drew
Brees (Saints) and Brady (Patriots, then Bucs) could at the same
age.
9. Detroit Lions: We hear you, the roar might be real after Detroit
went 8-2 to nearly sneak into the playoffs despite a 1-7 start. We
need more proof.
8. Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Herbert in MVP conversations even
with a defense prone to big letdowns.
7. Dallas Cowboys: Defensive tweaks made Dallas better. Will the
offensive line doom Dak and Big D?
6. San Francisco 49ers: Too many toys to disappear, we're
pessimistic Brock Purdy keeps his savior cloak after the
seventh-round rookie played flawlessly in 2022.
5. Philadelphia Eagles: No reason to expect a big decline from MVP
candidate Jalen Hurts. An encore from the defensive line might be
coming, too, with DT Jalen Carter leading the charge.
4. Baltimore Ravens: Low-key but impactful
defensive additions and polish at the WR position place Lamar
Jackson's crew in the NFL's Final Four.
3. Cincinnati Bengals: Zeus Jr. at left tackle stabilizes the
Bengals' offensive line and Joe Burrow puts up the points to cover
for a flawed secondary.
2. Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen can lean on improved RB depth to remain
upright. His time is coming.
1. Kansas City Chiefs: Gravity works against the champs the longer
DT Chris Jones (contract holdout) and TE Travis Kelce (knee) are
away. MVP Patrick Mahomes keeps the team afloat provided his line
does its job.
--Field Level Media
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